LgMouthGambler

Cheap garbage, dont buy. Thia coming from a Shimano guy. Stick to the Citica or above.

ROTFLMFAO!

Usually the spool bearing in the side cover opposite of crank is held in by a small clip, DO NOT LOOSE IT! Put the side plate in a plastic ziploc while you take it off so if the clip goes flying out, it doesnt get lost. The spool bearing behind the tension knob should just slide out. The rest of the 10 bearings that are in that reel, well, good luck with that, lol. Just keep the schematics handy just in case.

do not remove the shields!

Get a small jar, like baby food size. Fill it halfway with acetone, and drop a few bearings in it. Keep swirling the acetone and bearings around for about 10-20 seconds, and let them sit for about a minute or two. Repeat 2-3 times, or until the acetone gets really dirty with old oil/grease residue. Take the bearings out, and empty the jar. Refill the jar with more acetone, and drop the same bearings in, and swirl and sit, repeat until the acetone no longer gets dirty. Take the bearings out and give them a shot with brake clean to force out any little bit that may be left. I like to put a drop of oil on each side of each bearing, then put them on the end of a pencil, and spin them a bit to work the oil in.

If I put all my tackle out to take a picture, I would have to stand on a 30ft ladder to take the picture to get it all in. By then you wouldnt be able to see anything, lol.

Did you flush the bearings before you added new oil? Also, keep in mind that most companies will pack the bearings with grease, and it will make the bearings seem smoother than they really are. I am not surprised to hear it is not as smooth as it was after the clean, but that is the nature of those reels. Just in case, I would take it back apart and make sure everything went back together the right way. I know Im gonna get bashed for this post, but in my experience it is the same thing that happened to me with this companies products.

You like the evil monkey in the closet, lol. My wife says you make me do bad things, lol.

Pretty much my weakness is my strength, I like to turn US currency into fishing supplies,lol.

BPS Humpin Toad for me. Usually the black color, but I did just pick up the 49 pc kit for $15. It has many different clors that I normally wouldnt use, but the $ I couldnt pass it up to give them a shot. The feet on these things make soo much noise compared to any other brand I have used, and surprisingly its BPS.

Funny because I was at BPS yesterday and was holding the Crucial and the Compre side by side. The Crucial is lighter, but they almost look identical. I kno they are not, because ones IM9 and the other is 10. I wonder how different they are when using them.

Thats funny right there!

I dont remove the shields off my bearings, then agian all my bearings on my Shimanos are stock. Just soak them in acetone, and twirl them around in a little jar until there is no more residue in the fluid as I replace it every 5 min or so. Like some have said, some bearings the shields are removable, some are not. Even if they are removable, I feel the shields are there for a reason, and dont mess with it.

Im surprised I havent commented on this yet. Anyway, a vote for a 50E, a good M or MH rod, and some YoZuri 12#. Just add a little KVD L&L to really make it sail!

Only use a special "drag grease" for drags, do not use regular grease.

looks like a good knot

Gambler EZ swimmer in bright copper. Rig them on a swim hook with molded on weight on the shank, usually a 6/0. My best producers for monstr LM.

Im a Zoomy, everything they make is pretty good for a fair price. Mostly its their lizards, brush hogs, UV speed worms, and UV craws I use the most. Just about every brand out there has a bait that just performs on top of its category. You really cant go wrong with any company, most of the time its the person holding the line.

if its an oil, its for bearings, whether it says reel oil or bearing oil. If its a grease, its for gears.

Its not that the 50E is better, they are pretty much the same reel, only the 50 is smaller and designed to thrw light baits. I like the way the 50 feels in my hands, and it holds plenty of line. Either way, great reels.

I unlike the above, am able to make paper US currency turn into fishing equipment just by walking through glass sliding doors.

Isnt that the point? lol

You sound like my fishing partner, whom after tossing my Shimanos, is now getting rid of his "other" brand reels to buy Shimanos. Hey, dont blame the drudrug dealer for your addiction, he didnt make you buy it, lol.

Well if you take into consideration what a normal priced aftermarket carbon handle is, than no. Trust me they do make using a Shimano 50E series reel a whole lot nicer. I just think that spending more than $100 or so on a rod, you sometimes dont get anything much better. Still love ya though